Roman Phifer Interview

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The brick in the middle of the Patriots D isn't moved by our questions either.

By Jon Robinson

Roman Phifer is the Patriots equivalent to a wall. He stand in the middle of the Patriots defense, and next to his partner in crime Teddy-B, can shut down the run with the best linebackers in the league.

This ability makes Phifer one of the unsung heroes of the stingy, stinging defense, and also makes him one of the most important players in this Sunday's Super Bowl.

Big Ted Washington might clog the running lanes, but it's Phifer who needs to explode into the hole and make the tackle.

What will happen when Stephen Davis and Phifer collide? That could mean the difference between who comes out of the game holding the trophy and having their fingers sized for rings.

IGN Sports: How prevalent are the various football video games in the Patriots locker room?

Roman Phifer: There are a lot of guys on the team that play Madden, but I don't get into the games too much. My son plays all the time, and he's always telling me: "Dad, look you just missed another tackle!" He loves the Patriots, and he loves playing the video game as the Patriots.

IGN Sports: Who do you think is better, the real Patriots or the Madden Patriots?

Roman Phifer: I guess that all depends on who's controlling the sticks. [laughs] I think the real Patriots are better, though. You can't rate in a game how we play together as a team.

IGN Sports: There are guys running around in capes, spelling quizzes, ten thousand people surrounding Tom Brady's every move. What do you think of this whole experience?

Roman Phifer: I'm enjoying it, but we know the focus has to be on the game. Playing hard, that's what got us here in the first place, so yeah, we're enjoying all the attention, but we have business to take care of, and we won't let anything distract us from that. It can be tough at times with all of the things going on around us all week, all of the press events and such, but as the week goes on you just need to turn your phone off, block out the media, and just concentrate at the job at hand. I think the fact that we've been here before helps in terms of dealing with all of the media and the attention everyone is giving us.

IGN Sports: It seems like every week, no matter who you play, you guys all say that this is the toughest team we've had to face all year. Does it ever get easier?

Roman Phifer: That's because every week, the team that we've had to play has been tougher than the last. But let me say this, this really is the toughest team we've had to face all year. [laughs] It's funny that we all say the same thing, but I think that's what makes us a good team. We all think alike, we all have the same common goal, and we're all really focused on winning this game.

IGN Sports: How does the big defensive line help free you up to make more tackles?

Roman Phifer: Guys like Ted Washington really make it difficult for the offensive lineman to get to the linebackers, so it enables us to move to the ball without the offensive linemen making it through our first line to deliver any blocks. The quicker we can get to the ball, the quicker we can stop the run, and that way you don't see the running back charging through with a full head of steam needing to be tackled one-on-one by the secondary. Those big guys up front make all the sacrifices to help our defense make the plays, and they might not get the headlines, but it's the play of the line that everything else hinges on.

IGN Sports: What do you think when you look over at Tom Brady and you really can't even see him because of all of the press smothering him?

Roman Phifer: He's a great guy, and he enjoys the attention, but he's really humble around the team, and he's really fun to be around. He's just good at what he does, both on and off the field. We always tease him about leaving for Hollywood and going to do movies after he's done playing, we tease him about his hair or being on the magazine covers, but it's all in good fun. That's the nature of football, guys are always goofing on each other. Tom's already been successful, but he's such a good guy and is so good at what he does, his future is only going to get brighter.

IGN Sports: It's such a contrast to coach Belichick who stands on the sidelines with his hood up like he's trying to block out the rest of the world from his thoughts.

Roman Phifer: He's just very focused and knows what he wants to accomplish. He knows what he wants to bring to the team and he's tapped in to what the team can do. When he has that hood on, he's just so focused and watching the game. He's making sure he crosses all of his T's and dots all of his I's. It's not like you need to dress for success in our league. Coach isn't really concerned about his appearance, it's all about wins and losses. If he wants to wear sweats and we win, that's cool with me. I think you have to love whatever you do to be successful at it, and he's constantly watching film, he's constantly thinking of ways to improve the team, and it has filtered down to the players. Next thing you know, we'll all be wearing the hood.

IGN Sports: Is it almost unfair to give him two weeks to prepare for an offense and a quarterback?

Roman Phifer: I wouldn't say it's unfair, that's just the way it was designed. I think playing a team like Carolina, having the extra time to prepare is what we need. I'm sure coach is coming up with new twists and schemes every second. He might be over there answering questions, but he's really thinking about the game on Sunday.

IGN Sports: What do you see as the biggest difference between the running styles of Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster?

Roman Phifer: I think Stephen Davis is more of an inside guy while DeShaun likes to bounce it out a bit more. They're both good, hard, strong running backs.

IGN Sports: Is it more difficult to prepare for two running backs like this since they both have different styles and since they are alternating, they're not going to be as tired?

Roman Phifer: We try to pride ourselves for being in condition so hopefully that won't come into play too much, but the hardest part is just having to study both guys, watching both guys on film. There's more preparation involved. But preparing for our opponents, that's what we do best, so we'll be ready, no matter who is coming out of the backfield.